Don Finley: Universal health coverage

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff shared a story at the Bexar County Health Collaborative breakfast Thursday morning about two high profile politicos (representing different political parties) who visited San Antonio in recent days, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Clinton was here to raise money for her campaign, while Schwarzenegger was here to raise money for his Greater San Antonio After-School All Stars, a nonprofit program he founded that supports summer and after-school programs.

Both have been at the forefront of universal health coverage — Clinton with the controversial health reform task force she led during her husband’s first term as president, and Schwarzenegger’s recent efforts to forge a bipartisan health plan in California.

As for Clinton, Wolff noted: “She’s the only one I know of at the federal level that had enough guts to try — how long has it been now? Almost 16 years ago, I guess, she trotted out health care reform, and was shot down. But let me tell you, that lady doesn’t quit. She said that’s going to be a priority for her if she gets elected president of the United States.

“I don’t care who you support for president. But I hope you will lean on him or her very hard to pass universal health care.”

As for Schwarzenegger, Wolff praised his efforts to create a California program for universal coverage. “Our 50 states have always been a good experimental lab for things that may occur at the federal level, and hopefully the efforts he will be making in California will spread to the national level, and we’ll finally see universal health care.”

Wolff noted that almost a quarter of Bexar County residents are uninsured, which means they avoid seeing the doctor when medical problems are small or preventable, and end up in the emergency room at great cost to taxpayers.

He said that efforts to merge the city’s health department, the Metropolitan Health District, and the University Health System, which have been ongoing for a couple of years, might lead to better preventative programs in San Antonio.